So we stopped doing 'daub' we somehow had it in our heads that we only needed a violinist and a singer, when probably we just needed songs, only one person answered our ads and then they didn't show up for the rehearsal, and the pub manager stopped us from using the cellar. So I went solo, or at least I would try to write some songs before being in a band again.
I managed to borrow a 4-track recorder off of Paul who had just started work in the Square Albert pub, later I found out it was actually his dads, and I had it for a few months longer than the weekend I'd asked to borrow it for.
Flatmate Dave was starting to gig quite a bit as a Stand-Up across the country, and so I had time to myself, and could make noise. I really tried to learn how to play the guitar and experiment, and write songs; but with limited success. Think I wanted to try and create something that felt better than Illinois, to prove something to myself.
Although it was just me, I have written the band as 'How to spell Happy' on the tape, which was the title of a Headbirths song, so I was never really comfortable with the idea of trying to be a singer songwriter, and I probably wasn't earnest enough either.
The cartoon, is of me, it was drawn by a girlfriend of Dave H's; I don't have that big a nose, but I copied it onto a t-shirt, and people liked it alot, although they thought it was Billy Bragg.
Around this time, I put together a pamphlet of my poetry called 'This Coming Monday' and my sister's boyfriend at the time took some photos of me being twee for the cover in a closed down hospital somewhere in Liverpool. I found some of these in a wallet amongst the tapes and have added them to the gallery as they are hilarious.